OLD-FASHIONED ROSES 51 



scent of all Roses. The Damask Roses are all perfectly 

 hardy, and having leaves of a strikingly light green and 

 a very vigorous and beautiful habit, they are excellent 

 for planting among other Roses in masses, or to be placed 

 against a background of darker shrubs. The description 

 of the Damask Rose, Rosa Damascena, given by 

 Parkinson, is a good example of his simple clear style of 

 description, and will still serve as a picture of the Damask 

 Rose as we know it, though its varieties have increased 

 under modern cultivation. He says of it : " The 

 Damask Rose bush is more usually noursed up to a. com- 

 petent height to stand alone, (which we call Standards) 

 then any other Rose : the barke both of the stocke and 

 branches, is not so fully greene as the red or white Rose : 

 the leaves are greene with an eye of white upon them, 

 so like unto the red Rose, that there is no great differ- 

 ence betweene them, but that the leaves of the red Rose 

 seem to bee of a darker greene. The flowers are of a 

 fine deepe blush colour, as all know, with some pale 

 yellow threds in the middle, and are not so thicke and 

 double as the white, not, being blowne, with so large 

 and great leaves as the red, but of the most excellent 

 sweet pleasant sent, far surpassing all other Roses and 

 Flowers, being neyther heady nor too strong, nor 

 stuffing and unpleasant sweet, as many other flowers." 

 He returns to the praises of this Rose when he speaks 

 of its relative, the " Great double Damaske Pro vine or 

 Holland Rose," of which he says that " many doe 

 thinke it as good as the damask, and to that end I have 

 known some Gentlewomen have caused all their damask 

 stockes to bee grafted with province Roses, hoping to 

 have as good water, and more store of them then of 

 damaske roses ; but of my opinion it is not of halfe so 

 good a sent as the water of damaske Roses : let every 

 one follow their own fancie." 



